Lord Foster's Kazakhstan Plan Would Make Coney Year-Round Attraction

Don't look now, but Lord Norman Foster has a plan to build a major attraction under a huge tent in Kazakhstan. Don't laugh--it could be just the thing for those looking to turn Coney Island into a "year-round" destination. We only mention this because "year-round" beach locations in the Northeast are hard to come by (should be easier, though, by 2100 or so, after some serious global warming).

Lord Foster's tent/dome is both a signature structure and functional. (It's also retro, calling to mind the US Pavillion at Expo '74 in Spokane, Washington.) Check it out, from the BBC:

The tent is being made from special material that absorbs sunlight to create the effect of summer inside. Astana lies in the very heart of the Central Asian steppe. Temperatures there often drop to -30C in the winter. The final shape of the world's biggest tent was revealed in a 3D model by Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev.

Underneath, in an area larger than 10 football stadiums, will be a city with squares and cobbled streets, canals, shopping centres and golf courses. The idea is to recreate summer, so that when the outside temperature is -30C, the residents of the Kazakh capital can play outdoor tennis, take boat rides or sip coffee on the pavement cafes.

Make it retractable, and you've got the perfect Coney winter solution, plus a starchitect and something that people will flock to see. If it's good enough for Kazakhstan, it's good enough for Coney Island. Never say that all GL does is complain bitterly and throw sharp little verbal daggers.